Earth-717 Mini-Series: War Machine - Defender of the Earth
by Over9000Pylons
Summary: An alternate time. An alternate world. As the Avengers leave into the stars in a desperate bid to save humanity, James Rhodes is left behind to fight a losing battle against the Skrull Empire. Completely surrounded and overwhelmingly outnumbered, War Machine must bring together a small team of his own in a struggle for survival, so that the Avengers still have a world left to save.
1. Self Made Man

Earth-717: War Machine – Defender of the Earth

Chapter 1: Self Made Man

"So, you're not a sidekick?"

Rhodes did his best not to allow his dismay to show via his facial gestures or sighing. The question was one he had been asked multiple times now, and it always frustrated him. While he had only adopted the War Machine identity a short time ago, news circulation and much of social media had taken to referring to him as the sidekick of Tasha Stark, the Invincible Iron Maiden.

He did not take kindly to the supposition.

"No," said Rhodes. "I'm not a sidekick."

"Huh."

Rhodes was sitting at a table on the patio of a restaurant in Los Angeles. Sitting across from him was a blonde woman named Rae LaCoste. Rhodes, as usual, was in a suit, while Rae was wearing relatively casual clothes and large hoop earrings. She also had a pair of sunglasses that were propped up on her hairline.

"So, if you're not a sidekick, then what are you?"

Rhodes sat back against his chair and took a moment to breathe as he considered Rae's question, and how he ended up having a lunch date with her. While Pepper was usually busy in her new role as the acting CEO of Stark Enterprises, she did mention during her last conversation with Rhodes that her hairdresser was single and actively looking.

Apparently that was enough for Pepper to set up a time and place for Rhodes and Rae to meet. While Rhodes initially did not protest Pepper's invitation, he was starting to regret it. While he had hoped that Rae wouldn't be aware of his role as War Machine, it was becoming increasingly difficult to find people who weren't at least somewhat cognisant of who he was.

"Tasha and I are partners," said Rhodes. "She picked up a mission that has her out of town for a while. So, since I had just acquired my own armour, she asked me to stay here in LA. To keep the city safe, and make sure nothing happens while she's gone."

"I see," said Rae. "So you're the substitute."

"I . . . . guess that's one way of putting it."

"Although I wonder, why War Machine? Why not call yourself Iron Man or something? You know, for branding consistency or whatever. But nah, nah, I think that's great. Really cool. It's good to know there's more than one Iron Person flying around. Keeping a close eye on things. Trying to keep people safe."

The waitress finally returned with their meals.

"Thank you," said Rhodes.

"Thanks," said Rae. "Can I get another glass?"

The waitress nodded and started to pour more champagne into Rae's glass.

"Sure you don't want any?" asked Rae.

"I don't drink," answered Rhodes.

"Alright."

"Enjoy," said the waitress, before she left to attend to another table.

After taking a couple minutes to start eating her food, Rae resumed the conversation.

"So, you probably got some cool stories, right? Superhero stuff? Kinda crazy to know I know a real life superhero. I mean, it's sorta getting more common now, and I knew Pepper worked for Tasha Stark, but . . . . to actually know know one, you know? Crazy."

Rhodes grunted and adjusted his position in his seat.

"Yeah," he said. "Crazy."

"But yeah, so cool stories. Come on, ya gotta have at least one."

Rhodes looked to the side for a moment.

"Yeah, I have one I think I could share."

Rae grinned. Rhodes cleared his throat before he began.

"A couple weeks back, I received a message that a corporate rival of Stark Enterprises, Justin Hammer, was stealing tech schematics for the Iron Maiden technology . . . ."

* * *

Rhodes flew through the night sky towards the Los Angeles Headquarters for Hammer Industries.

"Give me the intel again, Janice."

Rhodes' internal heads-up display started feeding in several data streams, including a Stark Enterprises profile card image of a black man.

"I managed to track an attempt to steal the technical schematics for the Iron Maiden technology," explained Janice. "The source of the leak came from within the company: Jack Taggert, a mid-level technician. He cracked into the company's mainframe and took several encrypted data files before transferring them to an online address that could be traced back to Hammer Industries."

"Any idea why he did it?"

"A few months ago, Mister Taggert applied for additional funding for a private project. Miss Stark turned down the funding due to concerns that his designs were far too close to weapon schematics created prior to the company's revitalization."

"Money. It's always about money."

"It seems so, Colonel Rhodes."

"So, an angry employee steals Tasha's designs, and sells them to the highest bidder. Namely, Hammer. At least I know that I don't have to hold back."

As Rhodes arrived at the Hammer Industries building, he slowed down and hovered in place. Turning off his thrusters, he landed in the back courtyard, which contained multiple warehouses. Rhodes looked side to side, scanning the area.

"I am detecting a power signature inside of the warehouse directly in front of you, Colonel Rhodes. It is remarkably similar to the signature for the arc reactors, albeit slightly modified."

Rhodes marched up to the warehouse's sliding garage door. Holding up his left hand, he was about to knock on the door when a large form burst through it from the other side. Rhodes gasped as he was smacked in the face, and he was sent tumbling backwards without getting a good look at his assailant. Rolling back a couple times, he ended up on one knee as he looked at who had attacked him.

A hole had been ripped in the warehouse door by a large armoured suit. Unlike his own suit, this one was bulkier, looking similar to images that Rhodes had seen of the Hulkbuster suit that was briefly used by Major Glenn Talbot the previous year. The head piece had three orange horizontal lines over the visor rather than a traditional face. The same orange energy lights were positioned on all of the suit's joints.

The suit punched its hands together as Rhodes stood back up.

"Awh, man. We go through all the trouble of stealing from Tasha Stark . . . . and who comes after us, huh? The sidekick."

Rhodes raised an eyebrow as a man in a beige business suit walked out from behind the armour. He had short, dirty blonde hair, thick rim glasses with pink-shaded lenses and a brown striped tie. His hands were in his pockets, and he shook his head upon seeing Rhodes.

"Justin Hammer," said Rhodes.

"Rhodey! Long time no see, old pal."

"We've never been pals, Hammer."

"Yeah, guess we haven't. But screw me for trying to be polite, right? Really, I hate you, but that's mostly because I hate Tasha. Tell me, where is America's favourite playgirl?"

"She's busy doing something more important than dealing with you."

"Ha, ha, ha! Jokes. I'd much rather face off with Stark herself, but maybe if I send you to the scrap heap, she'll come a runnin'."

"That's not going to happen."

Justin chuckled before tapping the armoured suit next to him a couple times with his knuckles.

"So confident, are we? Bet you wouldn't be if you knew what was packing inside the latest and greatest from Hammer Advanced Weapon Systems."

Rhodes scoffed.

"I already know what's inside. Tech you stole from Tasha."

"That . . . . may be true, but I've reduxed it from the ground up! Now it's totally radical! Of course, I had a little help from one of your own."

The visor on the suit opened, revealing the face of Jack Taggert.

"Taggert," said Rhodes. "I'm not surprised. I heard this was your doing. You were really that upset about Tasha pulling your funding?"

"Damn right I was," replied Taggert. "I was working on something real special, some heavy duty ordnance. But since Miss Stark went all Salvation Army on us after her trip to China, me and my ideas weren't good enough for her anymore. Lucky for me, Hammer can move a lot of cash. He made an offer, and here I am. I put a lot of my own specs into this armour, and that's how I came up with the name."

The visor closed, and Taggert closed his fists. Rocket launchers on both the shoulders and wrists emerged out of the armour plating, all of them targeting Rhodes.

"Say hello . . . . to Firepower!"

Taggert launched all four rockets at once. Rhodes quickly blasted upwards, boosting out of the way as the rockets struck the ground. Taggert switched his attack modules from the rocket launchers to chainguns, and started unloading four streams of bullets as Rhodes flew through the air. Weaving back and forth, Rhodes avoided most of the bullets before firing a shot from his own shoulder cannon.

A large, hexagonal energy shield formed on Taggert's right wrist, blocking Rhodes' cannon blast. Rhodes moved in closer, but Taggert whacked him away with the energy shield. Recovering quickly, Rhodes entered into a hovering circle strafe around Taggert, firing both his repulsors and his shoulder cannon simultaneously.

Taggert shifted his position in tandem with Rhodes, keeping his shield between them. After continuing this stalemate for a few seconds, Taggert shouted and charged forward, trying to smash Rhodes head on. Anticipating this move, Rhodes boosted upwards and performed an aerial roll, ending up above and behind Taggert. He then fired two more repulsor shots, blasting Taggert in the back.

"Ugh!"

Swiftly turning around, Taggert transformed his hand module into a heavy cannon. He fired a shot before Rhodes could react, striking him directly in the chest and sending him crashing into a parked cargo truck.

Justin pumped his fist in the air as Taggert charged towards Rhodes.

"Yeah, yeah!" said Justin. "Whack him! Smack him! Shoot him in the face!"

Rhodes shook his head as he stood back up and activated a spherical energy field to absorb another shot from Taggert's cannon.

"Colonel Rhodes," said Janice. "I have performed several calculations derived from my scanning of the Firepower armour, and I have ascertained a potential danger."

"Really?" asked Rhodes. "I never would have guessed."

Rhodes flew sideways to avoid a hail of chaingun bullets.

"The Firepower armour has a power source that has been derived from the arc reactor designs. However, there is a significant problem. Beyond just design oversights in the construction, the core of the reactor does not possess vibranium, a crucial component in stabilizing the amount of energy generated. While Miss Stark was able to use palladium as a temporary core, Mister Hammer has elected to use platinum. Most likely, he did not understand the consequences of such a choice."

"And what would that be?"

"Inevitable self-destruction of the core caused by power overload."

Rhodes blinked.

"When will that . . . ."

"In about thirty seconds, Colonel."

"Great."

Rhodes performed a sharp turn and shoulder charged directly into Taggert's chest, knocking him over. Taggert grunted in pain as he landed on his back.

"Taggert! That armour is about to blow!"

"Pffft! Yeah, right! You're just scared that . . . ."

Rhodes punched down on the visor, knocking Taggert out. Rhodes then reached for the arc reactor and strained his musculature servos to pull it out. Justin threw out his hands.

"What are you doing?! That arc reactor's worth . . . ."

Rhodes ignored Justin and tossed the arc reactor into the sky. After a few seconds, it burst apart in the air, causing a bright and vibrant explosion. Justin started pulling out his hair.

"You idiot! That prototype cost me millions! And you ruined it! What the hell?!"

Rhodes turned to look at Justin and aimed his shoulder cannon at him, instantly silencing the petrified CEO.

"You're the idiot, Hammer. The next time you decide to steal someone's tech, make sure you know how it works. That platinum core was going to detonate no matter what. If I hadn't shown up, that explosion would have taken out your whole complex."

"As if you know! You're not the one with the online degree in engineering! You're just the sidekick! And you better lawyer up, Rhodes! I'm gonna put you in the ground for this!"

"Me? Corporate theft? Sabotage? Attempted murder? Hell, if I tell the police about the arc reactor, they could throw in domestic terrorism, intentional or not. If you want to accuse me, you better have one hell of a lawyer, Hammer."

Justin clenched his fists and growled as Rhodes flew up into the sky.

"Talk to me, Janice."

"I have notified the authorities. Mister Taggert will be arrested, although Justin Hammer will likely not face any serious legal repercussions without solid evidence. However, during the fighting, I did manage to break into Mister Hammer's mainframe, and delete all records of Stark technology."

"Nice. How did you do that?"

"I broke through his firewalls. Hammer Industries' data security is . . . . inadequate."

"Heh, heh. Nice work, Jan."

"Thank you, Colonel Rhodes. Same to you."

* * *

". . . . and that's how I dealt with Justin Hammer. Whether he admits it or not, I saved his life. Janice later did the math, and over two hundred of his employees would also have been killed in the blast if I hadn't interfered."

"Wow," said Rae. "You're a real damn superhero. Honestly, that's amazing."

"Thanks."

"You know, knowing people like you are out there? People that really try to protect us? It makes me feel safer. You do good work."

Rhodes smiled, and Rae returned the gesture. All of a sudden, Rhodes wasn't regretting this lunch date anymore.

But the moment would not last for long.

"Oh my God . . . ."

Rhodes and Rae looked over to the left as they saw crowds of people standing up and forming on the street. Everyone was looking up at a large television screen attached to the side of a building. It showed an "Emergency Broadcast Message" logo. Both Rhodes and Rae stood up as they waited to see what was going to happen next.

The screen transitioned to show a woman standing in front of a series of video clips. All of them showed major cities there were under attack by gargantuan war ships the likes of which none of them had ever seen. They were eight hundred metre long vessels that had four legs sprouting from under them, making them look like gigantic creatures.

Each one was equipped with a massive laser cannon that started firing into the buildings.

". . . . receiving reports from all around the globe. Major population centres appear to be the focus, with confirmed reports coming in from New York, London, Tokyo, Nairobi and Sydney. This is not a hoax. This is confirmation that Earth is currently under siege by a hostile alien force. I repeat . . . . I can't believe I'm saying the words . . . . this is an alien invasion."

Rae's jaw dropped, as did many of the other people on the street. Everyone was stunned into silence as they watched the video clips filter through city after city under attack by the alien mechs.

"Evacuation procedures are already underway, and armed responses are being prepped by every major military force on the planet. If you are inside one of the affected cities, you are being advised to head for the nearest designated evacuation area. All air travel globally has been suspended, and it's expected that the planet will be placed under martial law as per supreme emergency procedures. We have no current knowledge of the motive for the attack, but we do know one thing . . . . these enemies are not of this Earth."

Rhodes gulped.

"Janice?"

Janice started speaking into Rhodes' mind via the sensor link that had since been implanted in the back of his neck bone.

"Yes, Colonel Rhodes?"

"Get me my armour."

"Right away, sir."

In less than a minute, the War Machine armour flew towards Rhodes. He jumped into it and it latched itself around his body before blasting into the sky. Rhodes started flying as fast as he could, in a straight shot towards New York.

"Janice, get me Tasha."

"That may no longer be possible, Colonel Rhodes. I would explain, but you have an incoming call from Director Fury, and I suspect that he will divulge more information on the matter."

Fury's voice then filtered in through the helmet.

"Colonel?"

"I'm here, Fury. On my way to New York right now. Where's . . . ."

"Don't worry about New York, Colonel. We've got that handled. I need you to . . . ."

"Handled? What are you talking about? Aliens? Are you kidding me? What's going on? Where's Tasha?"

"Tasha's gone."

"Gone?"

"Into space."

"What?"

"She and a special team . . . . they're going to try and get help for the fight. I'll give you the details later, but I need your help, right now. I know where they're going to be focusing their efforts, and I need you there, immediately."

Rhodes sighed, realizing that he was not going to get anything more out of Fury until he agreed with his request.

"Alright. Where do you need me?"

"London. Don't worry about the other cities. London is what's important . . . . it's critical to their invasion strategy. I need you there. You'll meet up with Agent Romanova. She was deployed there on another assignment."

Rhodes sighed. He then nodded, and Janice automatically changed his flight path so that he would head straight for London.

"What are these things?"

"They call them Skrulls."


	2. Those Left Behind

Earth-717: War Machine – Defender of the Earth

Chapter 2: Those Left Behind

As morning slowly crept in the night after the invasion began, the city of London had been completely paralysed. The streets were devoid of traffic, with thousands of vehicles either destroyed or abandoned, left to rot on the pavement. The city was peppered with skirmishes between the British Armed Forces and the invaders, and civilians were either cowering inside of buildings or fleeing for their lives.

Within a very short time frame, all major armed response had been overwhelmed by the sheer force of the Skrull armada. Multiple Pariahs strolled through the city, annihilating all resistance that they encountered. Their loud and piercing horns were a source of terror for everyone who heard them, causing the millions of people trapped in the city to quiver whenever they sounded.

However, the arrival of the Pariahs was not the most startling development since the start of the Skrull invasion. Numerous construction vessels had descended upon London, clearing a large circular area of the city that was situated across the River Thames from the Palace of Westminster. The area cleared had a radius of five hundred metres, and from there the Mekkan construction droids and building crews had started to work on something massive.

Some of the civilians and soldiers in the city could see that the building was being assembled at an extraordinary pace, but none of them were certain of its purpose. All that was known for certain was that the foundation indicated that it would be a silver, circular pyramid structure, and that it was incredibly important because of the Pariah that guarded it at all times.

At a temporary operations base next to the construction site, General Paibok stood with his hands behind his back as he oversaw the project. Hundreds of Skrulls and Mekkans were garrisoned at the operations base, all of them under Paibok's command. While Paibok was a commanding presence amongst the Skrulls due to his unusual height, his soldiers knew that he took special care to instill respect rather than fear in his troops.

He was well known for having an authoritative style that contrasted with General Morrat.

"General."

Paibok turned to the side to see one of his Mekkan lieutenants standing next to him.

"Yes?"

"Queen Veranke has called, asking for a status report. She's waiting for you in the temporary command centre."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

Paibok turned and followed the Lieutenant to the metallic structure that had been designated his command centre. Several of these identical, one room structures had been deployed, airdropped in as quickly prepared segments of the operations base. Paibok stepped inside the command centre. In the middle of the room's floor was a holographic projector.

A full sized hologram of Veranke was being emitted by the projector. Paibok bowed, keeping both hands behind his back.

"My Queen."

"General," said Veranke. "I assume all goes well with the invasion?"

"Indeed it does," replied Paibok. "We have taken the city you designated, and construction of the Cyberex Device is on schedule. Provided there are no unforeseen circumstances, it should be ready for activation in two days' time."

Veranke folded her arms across her chest.

"Unforeseen circumstances? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Two of the Pariahs have been destroyed, although they were not here in London. This is a primitive planet, and I did not expect this level of resistance."

"Two Pariahs?"

"It was during the initial assault. Much of the local military has since been countered. I doubt we will incur any further disruptions."

"I don't believe you will, General. After all . . . . we have destiny on our side. Continue with the construction and ensure that the planet is under your complete control by the time I arrive."

"As it is written," said Paibok.

Veranke nodded, and her hologram faded. Paibok sneered before turning away and exiting the metallic structure. He returned to his observation post, watching as the Cyberex Device slowly but surely took shape.

* * *

Sprinting through the destroyed corridor, Natalia did not allow any of the physical details of the space to linger in her mind. There were charred walls, broken windows and ashes strewn about the floor. Smashed chairs, burned desks and smoking corpses were all present, but Natalia did not focus on these things.

Rather, she just kept running. She knew that if she focused on her surroundings, that she would be drawn into memories of a particular night in 1987. A time when she encountered all of these things in a similar space. A time when she had learned the traumatizing truth about her origins. A time when she had stared into the abyss of utter darkness, and had emerged forever scarred.

But no, these thoughts were not in her mind in that moment.

 _"Why didn't you save me?"_

Natalia abruptly paused and looked over her shoulder. She knew that Alma's words were only in her mind, but they stopped her all the same. Alma's presence was long gone, but there were still whispers of her ghost following Natalia wherever she went. It had been a quarter of a century since Natalia had dealt with her little sister, and still she was haunted by that terrible night.

An explosion and several screams jostled Natalia out of her melancholic remembrances and back into the present moment. Shaking her head and blinking a few times, she then resumed her running until she reached the end of the hallway. Turning to the burned wooden door, she did not hesitate to kick it in, having already known that the knob did not work properly.

The door entered into an adjacent bedroom. It was small and soiled, with a half-destroyed decor similar to the rest of the building. On the bed was a teenage girl, who was sleeping despite all of the noise. Natalia sighed upon seeing that she was unharmed. Shutting the door behind her, she then walked over to the lone chair in the room and sat down.

For the next few hours, Natalia just watched the girl sleep. She had long red hair, just as Natalia did. She was not wearing regular clothing, instead having a yellow bodysuit similar to Natalia's black one. She also had a pair of orange goggles strapped to her face, which did not seem to impede her ability to sleep.

Natalia warmly smiled as she watched the young girl. Looking at her facial features, Natalia noted to herself how similar they were to her own when she had been that age.

"Urm . . . ."

The girl finally stirred from her sleep, putting one of her palms on her forehead. Natalia stayed still as she watched the girl sit up and look at her surroundings. She seemed disoriented.

"W-Where . . . . where are we?"

"An abandoned building," replied Natalia. "I had to move you somewhere safe."

"You moved me? A-All by yourself?"

Natalia nodded in response. The girl huddled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"Wow. T-Thanks."

"It was my job to rescue you."

"Still . . . . thanks."

"You're welcome."

The girl looked over at the door for a moment.

"You didn't sleep?" she asked.

Natalia paused for a moment before answering the question.

"No."

"No?"

Natalia shook her head.

"Why not? How long have you been awake?"

"I . . . ."

Natalia closed her eyes for a few seconds, and all she saw was Alma's pleading face staring back at her.

"I have gotten used to not sleeping much," said Natalia as she opened her eyes.

Sighing again, Natalia then stood up. She approached a nearby table that had a plastic bag on it. Unzipping it, she reached inside and pulled out a small bag of potato chips.

"Hmmph."

Natalia then tossed the bag of chips at the girl, who awkwardly caught it by snatching it out of the air with her wrists.

"Eat something," said Natalia. "That's the best I have at the moment. Once you're done, we need to move. We can't stay in one place for too long."

Taking note of Natalia's tone, the girl feverishly ripped the bag open and gobbled down the chips inside. Once she was done devouring her hasty snack, she tossed the empty bag aside and got off the bed. Natalia bashed the door open with her shoulder, and stepped out into the hallway. The girl gulped as she saw the burning buildings and empty streets through the windows.

Natalia placed her finger against her ear.

"Joey, this is Natalia. Can you hear me? Joey? Are you alive?"

The voice of a man with a very apparent English accent filtered in through her earpiece.

"I'm not dead yet, Nat."

"Where are you?"

"Up on Chiswell, surrounded by these bastards. Place is in fuckin' shambles. You better hurry."

"On my way."

Natalia lowered her hand and started to march down the hallway. The girl followed after her.

"Who was that?"

"A colleague. He can help us."

After a couple minutes, Natalia and the girl exited the building, stepping out onto the street. Ashes and debris were cluttered all over the pavement, and smoke was rising from several of the nearby structures. A couple of fighter jets flew nearby, their engines roaring. This noise was then drowned out by the sounding of a Pariah's horn.

The girl gulped and looked into the sky.

"Don't worry," said Natalia. "It's not close to us."

"It's still so loud," said the girl.

"I know."

Natalia beckoned for the girl to follow her as she pulled out one of her pistols. Jogging over to a street corner, she placed her back against the wall before peering around the side. A handful of Skrulls and Mekkans were positioned in front of a building, placing a metallic device on the sidewalk. It was a two metre wide disc.

Natalia narrowed her eyes as one of the Skrulls bent down and pushed a button on the disc. It suddenly started to emit a tall, blue hologram of General Paibok.

"People of London," said Paibok. "My name is General Paibok, and I stand as a representative of Queen Veranke, supreme leader of the Skrull Empire. Your planet has been annexed and is now considered under the authority of the Queen. This is a declaration of peace, not of war."

Natalia sneered as she listened to Paibok speak. The girl watched from behind her shoulder.

"To all military forces, you are hereby ordered to stand down. Surrender your arms, and you will be shown proper amnesty. We seek to avoid further bloodshed. To all civilians, be aware that there is no need for fear. Turn yourself in to any Skrull or Mekkan patrol, and you will be safely transported to a detainment camp where you will be provided proper food, shelter and medical supplies. You have my solemn vow that there will be no mistreatment of any human prisoners, and any violation of that policy on the part of my soldiers will be met with swift retribution. However, if you resist, then I cannot guarantee your safety."

The recorded message looped over. Natalia looked down at the soldiers positioned around the hologram disc. As she reached for the pocket where she kept her grenades, one of the Mekkans looked up and pointed into the sky.

"What is that?"

The soldiers all aimed their rifles into the air. Natalia and the girl both looked up where they were pointing to see Rhodes in his War Machine armour. The soldiers opened fire on Rhodes, who retaliated with repulsor shots and shoulder cannon blasts. Cutting down three of the soldiers, Rhodes then pulled back his right fist before landing and slamming it on the ground, creating a shockwave that blasted the remaining soldiers off their feet.

Rhodes then looked up at the hologram for a moment. Scoffing, he then aimed his shoulder cannon at the hologram disc and blew it apart. Relaxing her muscles, Natalia holstered her pistol and casually walked onto the street, and the girl followed closely behind. Rhodes turned around, and upon seeing Natalia, opened his faceplate.

"Agent Romanova."

"Colonel Rhodes. Fancy seeing you here."

Rhodes gestured as if he was going to speak, but Natalia then saw that one of the Skrulls on the ground was starting to stir. Without hesitation, Natalia pulled out her pistol and fired two bullets into the downed Skrull. She then twirled her gun in her hand and placed it back in its holster. Rhodes nodded in approval before looking back at Natalia.

"Fury told me where to find you," said Rhodes.

"He give a reason?"

"He has a plan. And I'm going to need your help."

"I'm not surprised. But I was in the middle of my own mission when all this started."

Natalia stood to the side and allowed Rhodes to get a good look at the girl. He looked her over for a few moments.

"Who is this?"

"Angelica Jones," said Natalia.

The girl folded her arms and turned to Natalia with a look of anger flashing on her face.

"Amanda," said the girl.

"Uh, I'm sorry," said Natalia. "Amanda Jones."

"Angelica is my birth name . . . . but I prefer Amanda."

"I see," said Rhodes. "What's with the, uh . . . ."

"The outfit was her design," explained Natalia. "It helps her channel her powers."

"Powers?"

"She's a mutant. Has the ability to control solar energy and disperse it. That was my previous mission. She and several other mutants had been kidnapped by Mister Sinister and kept at one of his bases here in London. SHIELD got a tip about the location, and I was sent in. Sinister was gone . . . . and most of the mutants were dead. Amanda's the only one left."

"Mister Sinister?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," said Amanda.

Natalia nodded.

"We need to stay on the move. Colonel, I know you need my help, but I have my own problems right now. I need to get her somewhere safe, and I have another agent in the field who's under fire."

"Nowhere's safe, Natalia. The whole planet's under siege, but London is critical to the invasion. We have a chance at stopping this."

"How? I'm just a spy. A soldier. I don't have . . . . flying armour, or superpowers! Where are the Fantastic Four, or the Hulk, or Tasha?"

"They're all gone," said Rhodes. "It's just us."

Natalia sighed. She then looked to the side and pointed at a Pariah that was patrolling in the far distance.

"How am I supposed to stop one of those things?"

"If you go along with Fury's plan, then there's a chance we can save a lot of lives."

Natalia paused as she considered Rhodes for a few moments. She turned to look over at Amanda for a second, before placing one of her hands on her forehead.

"Not until we find my other agent. You help me make sure he's safe, and then we can talk about Fury's plan."

"Fair enough."

Natalia then led Rhodes and Amanda towards Chiswell Street. Once they arrived, they saw that a firefight was underway. A man in a dark blue combat outfit with a matching combat mask was taking cover behind a destroyed car, holding a heavy assault rifle with both hands. Two Skrull soldiers were approaching his position, firing at him with their laser rifles.

Peering out from behind cover, the man gunned down one of the Skrulls. His partner yelled and charged forward, but the man responded by leaping over the car and kicking the Skrull in the jaw. Once the alien was on the floor, the man started to repeatedly stomp his right boot down on the Skrull's body and face, causing blood to squirt upwards from each strike.

"Stupid . . . . fucking . . . . bloody . . . . cunt . . . . bugger . . . . asshole . . . . piss and shit . . . . son of a . . . . cocksucking . . . . fucking . . . . whore . . . . bastard!"

With his last stomp, the man completely crushed the Skrull's brain, leaving nothing but bloodied mush. Letting out a deep breath, the man then stepped away and wiped the bottom of his boot against the pavement to detach the fleshy chunks. Rhodes looked at him with curiosity, before realizing that he had a faint red union jack painted onto the front and back of his tactical armour.

He then turned to see the three people approaching him, holding his rifle close to his chest.

"About goddamn time you showed up," he said. "Thought I was gonna have to kill all these dickhead fucks by myself."

"This is your other agent?" asked Rhodes.

"Yes," answered Natalia. "SHIELD Agent Twenty-Six. Joseph Chapman. Codename: Union Jack. Most of us just call him Joey. As you can see, he's rather proud to be British."

"Oi! Silverjob!"

Rhodes turned back to Joey.

"You shop at the same place Tasha Stark shops?"

"Uh . . . . kind of. Name's War Machine."

"Oh, yeah, yeah. Right. Heard about that. The sidekick."

"I'm not a sidekick. I'm her partner."

"Well, alright, you're fuckin' her on the side. Sure, whatever. I ain't judging."

Rhodes was flustered for a moment, but quickly regained his composure, not bothering to respond to Joey's crass statement. He turned to Natalia instead.

"Is he always like this?"

Natalia shrugged.

"Yeah. You get used to it."

"Alright," said Joey. "So you grabbed the kid and now we've got our own private flying brick. What's next?"

"Come with me," said Rhodes. "We've got to find somewhere where we can discuss . . . ."

Rhodes was interrupted by being struck in the chest by something he couldn't see. A streak of blue and silver energy whizzed past him, causing him to flip into the air and slam into the ground.

"You didn't see that coming?"

The streak then bolted down the street, with no indication of where the voice had come from. Joey aimed his rifle and started looking around as Natalia pulled a rifle of her own off her back. It was a sleek, silver rifle with a precision scope.

Rhodes got back up and aimed his repulsors around, trying to locate the source of the attack. Amanda held her hands close to her chest as she stood behind Natalia.

"Janice! Scan! Any signs of the target?"

"Target unknown, Colonel Rhodes. Attempts to scan have failed."

"Failed? Why?"

"It's moving far too fast."

The blur sped past the group again, this time knocking Joey off his feet.

"Urgh!"

Joey's back slammed against a nearby car, and he slumped to the ground. Rhodes fired off a couple repulsor shots, but they hit nothing but air. Natalia took a couple steps back as she looked over her environment again. Without warning, Natalia fired a shot from her rifle at a car on the opposite side of the street.

However, instead of firing a bullet, her rifle launched a small magnetic disc that attached itself to the car's side. She then turned and fired another disc at the wall of the building behind her. Rhodes looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Natalia, what are you . . . .?"

Once again, the streak raced towards the group, but this time, Natalia was ready. Pressing the trigger on her rifle, the two magnetic discs lit up, and the car was lifted into the air and pulled directly towards the wall where the second disc was placed. As that happened, the car struck the streak, and a humanoid form was knocked out of it.

"Ah!"

The form hit the ground, revealing it to be a young man. The car continued to be pulled towards the wall, smashing into it. Joey got off the ground as Rhodes, Natalia and Amanda all looked down at the incapacitated man. He was wearing a grey and blue outfit, and had unkempt silver hair. Rhodes frowned upon getting a good look at his face.

"He's just a kid."

"He's a mutant," said Amanda.

Amanda stepped forward and bent down next to him. He stirred and opened his eyes, smiling upon seeing her.

"Hey there," he said, his Romanian accent quite clear.

"Hey."

The man then looked at the other three people standing over him, and grunted as he got to his feet. Grabbing his knees and panting for a few moments, he then stood up as tall as he could.

"You know, I'm not really a kid," he said, pointing at Amanda. "I'm the same age as her."

Rhodes, Natalia and Joey all exchanged glances.

"Whatever. Not important. I only attacked because I thought you were taking her away, but . . . . it seems she's not in any danger with you."

"Who are you?" asked Amanda.

"Pietro Maximoff. Before you ask . . . . I was trying to find you."

"Why?"

"My sister Wanda and I. We've been moving through Europe, trying to help mutants who were captured by Sinister. But we got separated after . . . ."

Pietro pointed up in the sky.

"So," said Natalia. "Your mutant power. Super speed?"

Pietro chuckled before zooming away for a half a second. He then reappeared in the same place, holding Natalia's rifle.

"Wow," he said. "Very nice."

Natalia blinked and looked around upon realizing what Pietro had done.

"Hey!"

Natalia stepped forward and snatched the rifle out of Pietro's hands. Joey laughed.

"Too right," he said. "Jumpy little bastard, ain't he?"

"Don't touch that," said Natalia, her look of anger directed at Pietro.

"What is that thing, anyway?" asked Joey.

"It's a prototype magnet rifle designed by Science Team."

Pietro looked back at Amanda.

"What's your name?"

"Amanda."

"You're okay being with these people?"

Amanda nodded.

"Yeah," she said.

"Okay. Then, if you don't mind, I need to find Wanda."

"Wait," said Rhodes. "We could use your help."

Pietro scoffed and held up his hands.

"Lots of people could use my help, metal man. Doesn't mean they get it. I help mutants, not Americans . . . . unless they're American mutants. You know."

"If you want to help mutants, then you should want to help us," said Rhodes. "The Skrulls are going to conquer the whole planet, mutants included. We can stop this."

"You have a plan to stop this? Ha. You are crazy or stupid, American. Probably both."

"Pietro, please," said Amanda. "With your powers and mine, we might just have a chance."

Natalia turned to Amanda.

"Your powers?" asked Natalia. "No, no. My orders were to get you to safety, not put you in active combat. You said yourself you've never used your powers in that way before. It's too dangerous."

"Look around! Everything's dangerous right now. I want to help!"

Natalia sighed.

"Girl's got a point, Nat," said Joey. "Ain't exactly the brightest of situations. Couple mutants might be our ace in the hole."

"I'll take all the help I can get," said Rhodes.

Natalia pondered for a moment before looking back at Amanda and nodding. Pietro smirked and clicked his tongue.

"If she stays . . . . then I stay."

"Alright, everyone," said Rhodes. "Then it's up to us. We can't count on help from the outside. It's a long shot, but . . . . if we work together, I think we can pull this off."

Natalia looked at each of the people around her in turn, before returning her gaze to Rhodes.

"So what's the plan?"


	3. The Illusive Woman

Earth-717: War Machine – Defender of the Earth

Chapter 3: The Illusive Woman

"No, please, don't . . . ."

The pleading Skrull's head was blown apart by a shot from Joey's magnum.

"Shut up, jackass."

Joey turned around to see the spectacle on the street. Rhodes and his group had attacked a Skrull vehicle patrol that was transporting dozens of captured soldiers and civilians towards a detainment camp. Rhodes and Natalia had attacked the main convoy from afar, while Pietro had moved in and taken down the patrol's outer troops faster than they could react.

After all of the Skrulls and Mekkans around the convoy had been dealt with, Amanda stepped up to the transport vehicle. Both of her hands lit up with orange energy, and after a few seconds, she stamped both of them against the metallic door on the back of the transport. Within half a minute, the entire door had melted away, and she pulled her hands back and reverted them to their natural state.

Stepping through the door, Amanda looked around the transport to see the people inside. They all stood up upon realizing that they had been rescued. Amanda gestured for the people to follow her out of the transport, where they met up with Rhodes' team.

"We've cleared you a path," said Rhodes, pointing down one of the side streets. "Head north from here. Their focus is on the river. Keep going north and you should get out of the city okay."

Joey and Natalia started handing out laser rifles to the captured soldiers, telling them to keep the civilians safe as they evacuated the city. After they made sure that the group was off of the main roads safely, Rhodes gathered his team together.

"Good work, everyone. Now, let's see what . . . ."

Rhodes was cut off by the sound of a hologram activating. Turning around, he saw that a full sized blue hologram of Paibok had turned on inside of the transport. Walking through the door that Amanda had melted through, he then approached the hologram, followed by the rest of his team. Paibok then turned to look at Rhodes. Both men were at the same eye level.

"Ah, there you are," said Paibok, folding his arms over his chest. "When my men started giving me reports of a man in a flying metal suit attacking my convoys, I was wondering if such technology could possibly have existed on a primitive planet. I see now that the reports are true, and that is quite fascinating indeed."

"General Paibok," said Rhodes. "Good to hear that my team and I are making an impression."

"You're familiar with my name, but I haven't yet heard yours. Are you going to continue to leave me at such a disadvantage?"

"My name is Colonel James Rhodes."

"Colonel? A fellow military man, I see. You should know that I have dealt with rebellious figures before. Those who are seen by their peers as heroes, as figures who can empower them to rise against the imperial structure that orders their lives. In the end, none of them have ever defeated me."

Rhodes narrowed his eyes.

"Then I'll be the first."

"Bravado. Admirable, if somewhat naive. A confident mind is necessary for any great tactician, but so is a pragmatic one. At least some part of you must be aware that you are in a supremely unprivileged position. The technology of my forces is at a far higher level than yours. You are outnumbered, and you have little chance of receiving significant aid from reinforcements."

"I've done well enough so far."

"If you wish to continue your current course, then I will meet you in kind. I only wanted to be honest about your odds, and offer you the chance to surrender. If you stand down, you will be treated with all fairness. There will be no shame in it. You have impressed me with your tenacity, but the Skrull Empire has already won this battle. Thus, I implore you . . . . stand down."

Rhodes closed his faceplate.

"Duly noted."

Rhodes then aimed his right repulsor at the hologram and fired.

In his command centre, Paibok sneered as the hologram deactivated.

"So be it."

* * *

After clearing out from the convoy, Rhodes finally received a follow-up message from Fury, telling him to go to a specific building in one of the abandoned areas of London. Fury said that they were to meet up with someone who could provide them with assistance, but he did not reveal who it was. Rhodes and his team all made their way to the meeting location, wondering who they were going to come across.

The team stood inside of a wrecked warehouse. None of the lights were working, so visibility was only provided by a few rays of light from the setting sun peering in through the windows near the ceiling. Closing her eyes for a moment, Amanda's body then started to glow brighter, allowing the group to see most of the surrounding area.

"Nice," said Pietro.

"Human flashlight," said Joey. "The world's wonders never cease."

"Getting late," said Pietro. "Sure it is not time for tea?"

Joey growled.

"I actually hate tea. Fucking national stereotypes."

Natalia leaned in towards Rhodes.

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"Yes," said Rhodes. "Janice found it. She doesn't make mistakes."

For a couple minutes, everything was silent. Pietro tapped his feet against the ground a couple times, but otherwise, the group stayed relatively motionless as they waited to see who was going to arrive. As Rhodes was about to try and contact Fury, a lone figure emerged from the shadows. Natalia placed her hand on her pistol as the humanoid form stepped into the light.

Rhodes blinked upon recognizing the figure.

It was an AIM Risk Control trooper.

"Colonel Rhodes," said the trooper, his voice heavily modulated. "My employer would like to speak with you."

The trooper held out a small metallic orb. Tossing it outwards, the orb then started to float in the air as it emitted a full-sized hologram of a woman.

Rhodes knew who it was going to be, but he still didn't believe it.

"Sunset."

"James Rhodes," said Sunset Bain, holding her hands together in front of her. "How wonderful to see you again."

Sunset giggled as Natalia and Joey both instinctively aimed their weapons at Sunset.

"This bitch," said Joey.

"Oh, they do train them well down at SHIELD, don't they?" asked Sunset. "Aiming weapons at a hologram. Oh, I'm truly terrified."

Rhodes took in a deep breath, calming himself.

"Isn't this ironic, Colonel? Dear Tasha spends all this time trying to find me, chasing after me like I was a runaway lover. Quite flattering, really. But right after she leaves, I come and find you."

"I've seen this lady on TV," said Pietro. "They call her a terrorist."

Sunset laughed.

"You don't say?"

"Why are you here?" asked Rhodes.

"Because Nick Fury gave me a call. He asked for my help, so here I am."

"Bullshit," said Natalia. "He wouldn't call you."

"You'd be surprised who Fury is willing to work with these days, Miss Romanova," said Sunset, her voice slowly growing raspier. "Desperation is quite the negotiator."

Pietro and Amanda looked at each other, not sure what to make of the conversation. Amanda folded her arms and tilted her head slightly as she continued to silently observe.

"What do you want?" asked Rhodes.

"To help you, of course."

"Oh, you've gotta be takin' the piss," said Joey. "I don't buy it for one goddamn second. I know what this lunatic's done. Everybody knows. She's a fucking liar."

Sunset smirked and placed her hands on her hips.

"Tell me, Director . . . . am I lying?"

The Risk Control trooper tossed out a second orb, which created a hologram of Nick Fury.

"No," said Fury. "She's not. Stand down, Chapman."

Joey shook his head.

"Director, sir! What possessed you to think that working with Sunset Bain of all people was a good idea? You already forget all the shit she's done?"

"Why her?" asked Natalia.

"Because she has the resources we need," answered Fury. "Armed forces everywhere have their backs to the wall. With the UN dissolved, many countries are turning inward, trying to defend themselves. They're bleeding out because of it. SHIELD's barely holding together. We need help . . . . and Sunset has a private army, ready to go."

"A private army of thousands of people taken against their will!" shouted Rhodes. "She has slaves, not soldiers! And I doubt she would just let you use them without getting something in return."

"You idiot," said Sunset. "I have nothing to gain from the end of the world. If the Skrulls take over, I lose just as much as all of you. We may be enemies, but for once . . . . yes, we all have the same goal. It's in my best interests to help you."

Rhodes pointed directly at Sunset.

"This doesn't change anything," he said. "This doesn't make up for what you've done."

"That's not for you to decide," replied Sunset. "Especially since I'm already helping. Just ask the Prime Minister."

"The hell you on about?" asked Joey.

Fury sighed.

"Sunset's troopers have already evacuated the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. They've also been providing aid to forces on the ground, as well as relief efforts and refugee evacuations. Without her . . . . England would already have been lost."

Sunset chuckled as she looked directly at Rhodes.

"My Risk Control troopers have been doing the same thing for several countries in the European Union. It appears that I'm the woman of the hour."

All of Rhodey's team started to look at each other, all of them in disbelief at what they were hearing. Fury looked down for a moment as if he were ashamed. Sunset's grin widened. After a minute of silence, Rhodes looked back up at her.

"What are you offering?"

Sunset took in a breath before responding.

"The only chance you have."

Sunset snapped her fingers, and another hologram appeared between her and Fury. This hologram was a building schematic for the pyramid structure that was being built by the Skrulls.

"That thing," said Pietro. "It's what they're building."

"The Cyberex Device," said Sunset. "The crux of their plan. It's a shield generator for a larger structure that will be in orbit around the planet."

"As long as that device stands, Earth is theirs," said Fury.

"How do you know this?" asked Rhodes.

"We got a tip."

"Construction is almost complete," said Sunset. "The Skrulls and their little robot friends work fast. You'll most likely have to destroy it from the inside, but it's heavily defended, and they have one of their Pariahs guarding it around the clock."

"That's suicide," said Amanda.

"It's our only option," said Natalia.

"It's fuckin' lunacy is what it is," said Joey.

Pietro shrugged.

"We can do it."

"How will you help?" asked Rhodes.

"I have over two dozen shuttles full of troopers ready to go," said Sunset. "And, I've also got a special surprise that might give you an edge against that Pariah. My troops will serve as distractions. They're cannon fodder to make sure that you and your team get inside that structure. You get to the main reactor core, and you blow that thing the hell up."

"This plan, I like it," said Pietro.

Natalia shook her head.

"We're just going to punch a hole in and hope we get lucky?" asked Natalia. "There's no way we can use stealth?"

"Defenses around the Cyberex Device are airtight," said Fury. "One person might be able to slip through, but you'll need a whole team to have enough firepower to take out the reactor core, and there's even more troops stationed on the inside. The only way in is a fight . . . . but now you've got enough numbers to have a chance."

"Hope you'll be ready," said Sunset. "My troops will be in position at midnight."

Sunset put on her best fake smile. Rhodes fought back against his inclination to cringe.

"Good luck, Colonel."

* * *

A short time later, Rhodes and his team found themselves inside of another abandoned building that they were using as a temporary hideout. Dozens of Risk Control troopers were stationed around the perimeter, acting as lookouts as they waited for more AIM shuttles to arrive. Rhodes felt very unnerved by being around them, but he now knew that working with Sunset was something he couldn't avoid.

Natalia sensed his frustration, and shared it. She walked over to Rhodes and sat next to him on a mangled sofa. Joey was nearby, sitting on a chair and repeatedly checking all of his weapons. Amanda and Pietro had left to go to another room. Everyone knew that they should take the chance to try and get some sleep before the battle, but none of them could.

Natalia placed her hands together.

"Not who you were expecting to team up with, I take it?"

Rhodes sighed.

"Heh. No."

Rhodes looked around at the Risk Control troops.

"A short time ago, Sunset was our most dangerous enemy. Now she's our ally? After what she did to Happy? To Tasha?"

"Times change. Situations change. I've seen how fast enemies can become allies. How fast allies can become enemies."

Rhodes shook his head.

"Not like this. I don't care if she helps us stop Paibok. She went too far. She's not forgiven."

"You got my vote," said Joey, putting his rifle on his back holster. "Bain's a fuckin' menace. Up to me, I'd blow her bloody head off right now."

"That's probably why it's not up to you," said Natalia.

"Whatever, mum."

Natalia sighed and looked back at Rhodes.

"I know it's not easy. I'm not saying I like it. But Fury's right. We need her help. I don't like having to work with enemies . . . . but I've seen it before."

"When?" asked Rhodes.

"Back in the eighties."

Rhodes' eyes widened.

"The eighties? How old are . . . ."

Natalia gulped, and Rhodes stopped. Natalia exhaled before answering.

"I'm almost fifty years old."

"Here we go," said Joey.

"Fifty?" asked Rhodes. "You don't look a day over twenty."

"It's a really long story," said Natalia. "Tell you what. You lead us and we finish this mission, and I'll tell you the whole thing."

In the next room over, Amanda and Pietro were sitting opposite each other on a large window sill. Amanda was looking out the window at the ruins of London, seeing a Pariah patrolling in the far distance. Pietro was looking at her. Eventually he chuckled and looked down.

"What?" asked Amanda.

"Eh. It's nothing."

"Nothing?"

Pietro looked back up at Amanda.

"I hate waiting. I move fast. Think fast. When I have to wait . . . . eh."

Amanda put her hands together and started to twiddle her thumbs. Pietro smiled at her as he scratched the back of his head. She softly returned the gesture before looking back out the window. Pietro started rhythmically tapping his right foot against the sill he was sitting on.

"I was waiting," said Amanda. "Waiting so long . . . . for someone to find me."

Pietro raised an eyebrow. Amanda continued to stare out the window as she spoke.

"I thought I was gonna die there . . . . in that lab. I watched people, good people . . . . butchered. Tortured. They screamed, and no one heard. They cried . . . . but no one saved them. No one knew. No one cared."

"You did."

Amanda blinked and looked at Pietro.

"You cared," he said. "I know it doesn't help much but . . . . you cared. And we were trying to find you. People know about Sinister. Who he is. What he is. People want to stop him. Not sure I trust SHIELD, but . . . . they sent someone to save you. They can't be all bad."

"I trust her, but not the others. I wish you'd shown up sooner."

"Me?"

"Because you understand. You're one of us. This fight . . . . we're working together now, but what about after? Mutants are hated, isolated, slaughtered . . . . that won't change once this is over."

"Maybe we help save the world, then they'll go easy on us," said Pietro, with a chuckle.

Amanda sulked, not amused by Pietro's attempt at humour. For another several minutes, the two young mutants sat in silence, before Amanda spoke up again.

"What's your sister like?"

"Wanda?"

"Yeah."

"She's like me. Or not. We're twins, but . . . . in many ways we're the same, but also not. Wanda and I have been together all our lives. She's the smart one. I just, uh . . . . I just charge headfirst into things. Usually works. But we both have the same goal. We want to help mutants. People like us. Just like we help each other. Once we take out that big pyramid place, I'm going to find her."

A smile slowly formed on Amanda's face as she listened to Pietro speak.

"You know for sure she's okay?"

"I know Wanda better than anyone. She thinks on her feet. She's tough. She'll be just fine."

Pietro sighed.

"There's nothing I wouldn't do for Wanda, and I know she feels the same about me. We're a team, her and me."

"Must be nice," said Amanda. "To have someone like that. Someone you can trust. Family."

"You don't have family?"

Amanda blinked and looked away before responding.

"Not anymore."

* * *

"Fuckin' wish I had a smoke."

Natalia looked over at Joey, who was standing right next to her.

"You quit, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Joey. "But right now, sure as hell wish I had one."

Rhodes, Natalia, Joey, Amanda and Pietro were all standing on a building that allowed them to see the Cyberex Device in the distance. It had been completed faster than they could have imagined, and was now firing a sustained blue energy beam into the sky. They couldn't see it striking and forming a shield around the _Exile's Intent_ in orbit, but they knew the stakes either way.

Only a few minutes earlier, the Pariahs had all sounded their horns at once, and had lifted off into the sky. Nobody knew why they were leaving, but the Skrull and Mekkan ground forces were still occupying the city. The only Pariah that remained was the one guarding the Cyberex Device, and it stood in front of it as an unwavering omen of the ferocity of the battle they were about to wage. The AIM shuttles started to fly overhead, heading towards the Cyberex Device.

"AIM forces are ready and moving, Colonel," said Janice.

"Alright everyone," said Rhodes. "This is it. Hitting convoys was all well and good, but this is where we make our stand."

Natalia, Joey, Amanda and Pietro all started to nod at Rhodes' words.

"We're going to march right up to this bastard's front door, and we are not going to walk softly. We're going to kick down his door . . . . and show him that his people invaded the wrong planet!"


	4. Vindication

Earth-717: War Machine – Defender of the Earth

Chapter 4: Vindication

At the centre of the Cyberex Device was the reactor core chamber, which took up a majority of the interior. It was a huge circular room, with the reactor core powering the device at the epicentre. The reactor core was a reinforced glass orb in a state of constant rotation. A crackling blue energy field was inside the orb, repeatedly lashing out at the glass with ripples of sapphire electricity.

Paibok stood on the circular railing that traced out the circumference of the chamber. His hands were folded, and he was staring at the reactor core. The beam emitting from the top of the core fired directly upwards towards the peak of the Cyberex Device, where it then continued until it pierced through the atmosphere and provided the impenetrable shielding for the _Exile's Intent_ , which was currently stationed in orbit.

"General."

Paibok turned around to see his Mekkan lieutenant.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Sir. There has been an attack on the outer defenses. Reports are coming in that it's the flying metal man, and he's brought an army."

Paibok sneered.

"Colonel."

Paibok exhaled and looked back at the reactor core.

"Place out a city wide alert. I want all forces on this side of the river converging on his location. This game has gone on long enough."

"As you say, General."

* * *

Rhodes instinctively lowered his head as a flaming AIM shuttle smashed into the building near him. The explosion from the crash incinerated a large portion of the building's side, causing chunks of debris and shattered bricks to crumble. Forcing himself not to focus on the carnage, Rhodes then faced forward and threw his left fist, smashing it against a Skrull's jaw.

Holding up his other hand, Rhodes then fired a swath of bullets from his chaingun wrist module, forcing several of the enemies ahead of him to scramble for cover. An AIM tank then pulled up next to him, firing a blast from its twin laser cannons. The lasers tore apart a pile of wrecked cars, blowing them and the Skrulls behind them to smithereens.

The battle to break through the Skrull defenses around the Cyberex Device continued to rage, and although Rhodes and his team had made some progress, Rhodes now realized that it would have been impossible without the help of the Risk Control troopers. Each building was littered with Skrull and Mekkan soldiers, and the sheer volume of them and the weapons they wielded made each few metres gained a precious victory.

Not far from Rhodes' position, Natalia performed a barrel roll to avoid several lasers and get behind a destroyed pillar. Ducking behind it, she took a moment to catch her breath. However, this is a moment she did not have, because a tall Skrull looked over the pillar and slashed downward with his laser rifle, trying to cut at her head.

Natalia leaped out of the way of the slash, and the Skrull quickly jumped over the pillar to attack her. Pulling out two energy batons, she swung them horizontally a couple times to ward the Skrull off. He yelled at her before taking a step back, aiming his gun. Natalia was barely able to toss forward one of her batons in time to knock the rifle from his hands before he fired.

Charging forward, Natalia jammed the end of the other baton against the Skrull's chest, delivering an electric shock. It wasn't enough to stun him, and he then grabbed Natalia by her neck before smashing his forehead against her face.

"Ugh!"

Blood spurted from Natalia's nose as she staggered backwards. The Skrull then drew an energy knife from his belt. He stabbed forward, and Natalia dodged sideways. She tried to drop her elbow on the Skrull's arm, but he was too fast and spun around, attempting a spinning slash. Natalia managed to deflect the knife attack with her remaining baton, before again jamming it against the Skrull's chest.

Still, he was too strong to be knocked out by the electric attack. Seizing Natalia by the wrist, the Skrull grinned as he squeezed down, causing her to groan in pain. Gritting her teeth, Natalia then threw her legs forward, performing a double kick on the Skrull's chest, forcing him to let go. As he crashed against the ground, she pulled out a blade of her own.

Pouncing forward, Natalia jammed the combat knife down the Skrull's throat before he had the chance to recover. Forcing it down with both hands, she kept a straight face as the Skrull choked on his own blood. After he died, she pulled the knife out and started wiping blood off of her arms and stomach.

Just ahead of Natalia on the street, Joey was moving forward along with another AIM tank and a squad of Risk Control troopers. Risk Control engineers were setting up automated turrets along the road as the main troopers provided covering fire. A Mekkan tank then rolled into view, launching a blue energy blast into the air.

"Oh shit," said Joey.

Joey turned around and dived backwards, barely avoiding the blast as it landed on the ground. Two of the Risk Control troopers were vaporized by the blast, and the front end of the AIM tank was severely damaged. The automated turrets opened fire on the tank, with the hail of bullets weakening the armour. As Joey got back up, he saw one of the AIM shuttles fly overhead and launch a volley of missiles at the Mekkan tank, shredding it to pieces.

The shuttle then dropped off another squad of Risk Control troopers. The squad included a team of three Wraiths, the all-female agility operatives who carried katanas. Shaking his head, Joey rushed over to join them, holding his heavy assault rifle with both hands. Running alongside a dozen Risk Control troopers of various classes, Joey pressed forward on the next block.

Grabbing a grenade off his belt, Joey heaved it through one of the building windows and watched as multiple Skrulls were blown apart. The Skrulls and Mekkans inside the building opened fire on the incoming Risk Control troopers, with the trooper closest to Joey getting his head shot clean off. Joey winced, but did not stop his forward advance as he held his assault rifle high and fired wildly into the building.

While his bullets were moving far too fast for most people to see, they weren't too fast for Pietro. Sprinting down the street, he ran past Joey and the stream of bullets coming from his assault rifle, taking care not to end up in his line of fire. Once Pietro got to the wall, he started running up the side of the building without losing any of his momentum.

Vaulting into one of the higher floors via a window, Pietro then started attacking the Skrulls who were in a defensive position. Unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks, he took down several Skrulls without them even being able to realize what was happening. A Mekkan in the room turned and started firing shots from an energy shotgun, with one of them grazing Pietro in the shoulder.

"Agh!"

His skin burned by the energy and his shirt torn slightly, Pietro slowed down for a moment because of the pain. This was all the time the Mekkan needed to line up a more precise shot. Luckily for Pietro, he realized what was happening just in time to backflip out of the way of the next shotgun blast.

Landing on his feet, Pietro ignored the pain and ran forward, snatching the shotgun out of the Mekkan's hands. Before the Mekkan could react, he turned the weapon on its former owner and aimed at his head.

Pietro slowed down for just a moment and smirked.

"You didn't see that coming?"

Pietro then fired, obliterating the Mekkan's head and torso. Before the body could even fall to the floor, Pietro was in the next room, firing the shotgun at any enemy he could find. After several rapid shots, the weapon overheated, and Pietro then spun it around and held it from the front end before swinging it like a baseball bat against the last Skrull in the room, crushing her ribcage and sending her flying out of one of the windows.

Chuckling, Pietro did not notice a Mekkan approaching him from behind. The Mekkan equipped an energy sword in its right hand, and was about to skewer Pietro when his hand was burned off by a blast of yellow energy. Pietro turned around and gasped as the Mekkan was blasted in the chest by another yellow beam.

Looking to the side, Pietro saw Amanda hovering just outside the window, using the energy from her hands to sustain her flight. She gave him a wink before flying upwards, and Pietro rolled his eyes. Amanda flew up to the roof of the building, landing a powered uppercut on the jaw of one of the Skrull sentries.

Holding out both hands, Amanda fired heat beams at the nearby Skrulls, burning holes through their chests. As she landed on the roof, a squad of Mekkans ran over to her from the other side of the roof, all training their weapons on her. The heads of one of the Mekkans then exploded, destroyed by a rifle shot from a Risk Control sniper on a nearby roof.

Amanda took the opportunity to fire a heat wave out in front of her, scrambling the visual sensors of the Mekkans and leaving them as easy prey for the Risk Control snipers. Another large Mekkan pulled out its energy sword and charged at her. She jumped backwards and away from his downward vertical slash, but not in time to avoid getting sliced on her right arm.

Amanda cringed as she landed, holding her arm as it started to bleed. The Mekkan pressed forward, preparing for another slash. Before it could attack, Amanda kicked out with her feet, striking the Mekkan in its leg joints. Disoriented by the unexpected attack, the Mekkan was not prepared for Amanda to jam her heated left fist into its chest, cooking most of its innards in a mere second.

Taking a moment to breathe, Amanda then pressed her finger against the cut on her arm. Using her heat powers, she sealed the wound to stop any further bleeding. Panting, she then looked to the left to see a large Skrull transport ship flying towards the building. She blinked as it charged up its two laser cannons and blasted one of the AIM shuttles out of the sky before turning to face her.

Frozen in place, Amanda was speechless as Rhodes suddenly flew in and fired rockets from both wrists. The rockets destroyed the transport's cannons, before Rhodes himself charged at the front end and landed a punch powered by his musculature servos. The metal hull crumpled by the force of the blow, the transport then imploded and smashed against the ground.

Rhodes then looked over at Amanda and gave her a nod before he performed a sideways spin and flew overhead, firing shots from his shoulder cannon at more of the enemies on the street. Flying close to the ground, he boosted and ran through multiple Mekkans before landing a kick on one of the Skrulls, the force of his momentum causing his foot to snap the Skrull's spine in half.

Rhodes landed next to Natalia who was now working her way down the street alongside more of the Risk Control troopers. She had her twin pistols out, and was firing at any enemies she saw. Rhodes stood at her side with his repulsors at the ready, and together the two of them killed an entire squad of targets in short order.

Three Wraiths then leaped over Rhodes and Natalia, charging right for the front ranks of the enemy. The Wraiths swung their swords in unison, removing arms and legs from various Skrulls. However, the three Wraiths were all then killed by a rocket blast from a tall Mekkan who was in a nearby window.

Snarling, Rhodes then aimed his shoulder cannon at the Mekkan. He fired two blasts that killed the robot and caused it to tumble out of its window. Three AIM shuttles then flew over Rhodes' position, launching missiles and laser blasts at the building just ahead of him. The force of the combined assault caused the building to collapse, taking dozens of Skrull and Mekkan defenders with it.

Rhodes and Natalia both held their hands up in front of them as a wave of dust settled around them. With the building out of the way, they could then see the Pariah that defended the Cyberex Device, which was slowly walking towards them.

"Pariah in range," said one of the Risk Control pilots.

The AIM shuttles fired at the Pariah, which charged up its main laser. The shuttles then broke off and flew in different directions as the Pariah fired, its laser slicing one of the shuttles in half. Rhodes and Natalia both exhaled as they looked at the colossal foe before them.

"Colonel Rhodes," said Janice. "Incoming message from Sunset Bain."

"Put her through."

"Colonel," said Sunset. "I see that you've made quite a bit of progress."

"Stow the small talk, Sunset. What's the status on that surprise of yours?"

"Ready to go. Should be arriving any second now."

Rhodes and Natalia both looked up to see two AIM shuttles flying over to them. They were joined by a large, metallic missile platform, with hooks on the underbellies of the shuttles holding the platform in place. Joey ran up to Rhodes and Natalia as they all watched the shuttles drop the missile platform in the middle of the road, pointed directly at the Pariah. The AIM shuttles then lifted off and turned around to rejoin the fight.

Strapped to the top of the missile platform were four missiles.

"Hell yes!" said Joey. "Fuckin' nuclear backup."

"Those aren't nukes," said Rhodes.

"Of course not," said Sunset. "But you recognize them, don't you, Colonel? Those are Vindicator-class tridium missiles. A little thing I stole from Tasha when she wasn't looking . . . . but, I figured I'd rather use them to help you, given the circumstances."

Amanda and Pietro then arrived on the scene, with Amanda landing from the air and Pietro running along the ground. Pietro took one look at the missiles before smiling.

"Now that, I like."

Multiple squads of Risk Control troopers took up defensive positions around the missile platform as one of the Risk Control engineers approached the control console on the platform's side. Rhodes walked up to him as the rest of the team watched the Pariah take another step forward. It was still far enough that it wasn't an immediate danger, but just being able to see it was terrifying enough.

"How long is it going to take?" asked Rhodes.

"Just a minute to set up the targeting solution," said the engineer. "We're going to fire two missiles, and see how much damage it does. The next two will finish it off."

"Understood."

Rhodes then turned back to his team.

"Everyone! This is it! Give the missiles cover!"

Rhodes' team and the Risk Control troopers opened fire on the incoming Skrulls and Mekkans, doing all they could to ensure that no enemies compromised the missile platform. After another minute, the engineer nodded and gave Rhodes a thumbs up.

"Do it!" shouted Rhodes.

The engineer pressed a button on the console, and two of the missiles fired. Everyone watched as the missiles soared through the sky, heading straight for the Pariah. The monstrous machine sounded its horn and started to charge its laser, but it didn't have enough time. The missiles struck the front end of the Pariah, causing a large explosion.

For a moment, the heroes all smiled.

A second later, the smiles disappeared.

The explosion faded away to reveal that the Pariah's armour plating had not been pierced. The plating was seared and slightly indented, but it had not been destroyed. The Pariah then took another step forward.

"Oh, bugger off!" shouted Joey.

"What happened?" asked Natalia. "I thought they were Tasha's design!"

Rhodes skipped a breath as it dawned on him.

"Tridium missiles," he said. "Those are tridium missiles."

Rhodes then pointed up at the night sky.

"They're powered by sunlight!"

"Well, good to fuckin' know now," said Joey. "Sun's nowhere in sight!"

Rhodes then blinked before he turned around.

"Yes it is. Amanda!"

Amanda looked over at Rhodes.

"Your power is control over solar energy," said Rhodes, pointing at the missile platform. "Those missiles? The more solar energy they absorb, the bigger the blast. I need you to power up. As high as you can go."

"But, but I . . . . I've, I've never used my powers that way. I, I m-mean, never pushed them that far. I, I don't know . . . ."

"You can do it," said Pietro.

Amanda looked over at Pietro with a frown.

"I know you can," he said.

Natalia and Joey then walked up and stood next to Rhodes, both looking right at Amanda.

"I believe in you," said Natalia. "You said you wanted to help? Well sweetie, this is it."

Amanda looked at the fellow members of Rhodes' team in turn. They all nodded at her. After a few moments of consideration, she then took in a deep breath.

"Okay," she said. "Let's do it."

Rhodes then turned back to the remaining Risk Control troopers.

"Everyone, cover her!"

Amanda stood in front of the missile platform, looking directly at the Pariah as it sounded its horn again. Inside, Amanda was just as scared as she had ever been of that horrible sound, but this time, it made her all the more determined. Holding her hands crossed over her chest, Amanda closed her eyes and focused her energy, feeling as the heat built up inside every cell in her body. She had never tested her limits, but she knew that she couldn't fail.

Rhodes, Natalia, Joey, Pietro and the army of Risk Control troopers continued to battle the Skrull and Mekkan forces. The numbers just seemed to be increasing, as if they were receiving reinforcements from all sides.

"Turn up the pressure!" shouted Rhodes. "No one gets through!"

Explosions and gunfire denoted the three hundred and sixty degree battle, with seemingly everyone focused on either defending or attacking the missile platform. Only via the synergy of Rhodes' team, and the mechanically tactical nature of the Risk Control army, did they manage to hold off the alien forces as Amanda continued to charge up.

Amanda's entire body was soon glowing with energy, becoming so hot that she was bathed in white light. While her suit channelled her powers, and her biology was naturally immune to them as well, even she was starting to feel the pain of charging so much. But still, for her it didn't matter. She just kept the sound of the Pariah in the back of her mind to remind her of what she was fighting for.

The Pariah took another step forward, now dangerously close to the battlefield. It then fired its laser, trailing it along the ground. The laser struck at the road, ionizing a handful of Risk Control troopers. Joey had to leap out of the way to avoid being killed. Rhodes then turned back, careful to have his optical visor shield his eyes from the intensity of Amanda's energy.

"Amanda!"

Amanda then shouted as loudly as she could as she held her arms into the sky. All of the energy blasted outwards and upwards, powering up the tridium missiles to their maximum. The Risk Control engineer then jammed his fist on the missile platform's console, and the remaining two missiles fired. Amanda then reverted back to her natural state as she watched the missiles soar through the air.

The Pariah sounded its horn one last time as it fired its laser into the sky, but it was too late to stop what was coming.

A deafening shockwave emitted from the power of the explosion, which obliterated the entire main section of the Pariah. The legs were blown apart, flying in different directions. The outer shell was burned beyond recognition, and what was left of the alien war mech collapsed to the ground as a charred corpse.

The heroes all shouted in unison, victoriously pumping their fists in the air. Amanda exhaled and smiled, stunned at what she had managed to accomplish. The remaining Skrulls and Mekkans were in shock at the sight, and were caught off guard as the Risk Control troopers made another push, slaughtering scores of them as they were looking the other way.

A dozen AIM shuttles then flew overhead, making their way towards the Cyberex Device. Rhodes sighed as Sunset's voice came in through his heads-up display.

"Excellent work, Colonel. Now, you get your little dream team to the Cyberex Device. AIM will take of the rest."

Rhodes then nodded before beckoning for his team to follow him.

"Come on," he said. "Time to finish this fight."

* * *

One of the doors to the reactor core chamber burst open, its hinges blown off by a shot from the grenade launcher attached to Joey's heavy assault rifle. Rhodes, Natalia, Joey, Pietro and Amanda all rushed into the room, arriving on the circular walkway. They then looked up at the reactor core, and the humanoid figure hovering in front of it.

Paibok was wearing beige and orange modular armour, with his entire body being covered by it. His faceplate locked into place as he looked down at the team, with his shoulder jets maintaining his flight. Rhodes sneered as he looked up at the Skrull general.

"This has gone far enough, Colonel," said Paibok. "You have proved far more resourceful than I ever expected. For that, you are to be commended. You are a most worthy adversary, the likes of which I haven't met in quite some time. But you will go no further."

"We'll just have to see about that," said Rhodes.

A platoon of Skrull and Mekkan soldiers then started running into the room from the opposite side, ready to fend off the attackers. Rhodes then looked over his shoulder at his team.

"The big guy is mine. The rest of you? Do your thing."

Rhodes then blasted into the air, headed straight for Paibok. The Skrull general was ready, firing concussive blasts from his hands. The force of the blasts knocked Rhodes off course, forcing him to retreat momentarily and start firing repulsor shots as he circle strafed around Paibok. The repulsor blasts seemed to be deflected completely by the modular armour.

"The repulsor blasts do not seem to be very effective, Colonel Rhodes," said Janice. "I would advise formulating another strategy."

Paibok then held out his right hand, which seemed to have a magnetic field around it. Rhodes was pulled directly towards Paibok, before the Skrull general fired a concussive shot with his left hand, blasting Rhodes away and causing him to smash his back against the chamber wall. Paibok then charged forward, intending to land a powered punch.

Rhodes barely boosted to the side in time, narrowly dodging Paibok's haymaker. Rhodes spun around and fired a couple quick repulsor shots as he soared around the room, with Paibok giving chase. Rhodes then doubled back, trying to catch Paibok off guard. However, Paibok was too fast, landing a backhand on Rhodes' chest before hitting him with another concussive blast.

On the ground, Rhodes' team were fighting hard against the enemy foot soldiers. Joey charged towards them, firing his heavy assault rifle with wild abandon.

"THIS IS MY FUCKIN' TOWN, YOU ALIEN BASTARDS!"

While his bravado would normally make him an easy target, Natalia, Pietro and Amanda all provided him solid cover, with the team gunning, shooting, slashing and punching their way through the alien invaders. Amanda blasted away a couple Skrull soldiers at once, but didn't see a laser shot coming right for her side.

Reacting quicker than anyone else could have, Pietro ran up to her. In less than a second, Pietro scooped her up, moved her out of the way of the laser shot and put her back down. He then gave her a wink before he raced away to continue fighting. Joey then turned to look at the reactor core before aiming his grenade launcher at it.

"For Queen and fuckin' country."

Joey fired a grenade at the reactor core, but the explosion didn't seem to do any visible damage. Flustered, Joey fired every grenade he had. Still the core stood, but now with several light cracks. Joey then looked up to see Rhodes and Paibok still battling in the air.

"Suggestions?" asked Rhodes.

"General Paibok's modular armour seems to be designed specifically to deflect energy attacks. I would suggest a more . . . . hands-on approach?"

"I hear you. Old fashioned way, huh?"

Rhodes boosted directly towards Paibok, shoulder charging into the Skrull's chest. Paibok groaned as he shoved Rhodes away from him and seized him again with his magnetic field. Paibok then slashed out with his free hand, bashing Rhodes away. Rhodes quickly spun around and landed a punch on Paibok's chest, before following up with several successive blows.

Paibok shouted in pain as pieces of his armour where damaged by the ferocity of Rhodes' attacks. He then fired a double concussive blast with his hands, but even that could only keep Rhodes away for a few seconds. Boosting forward again, Rhodes was then caught by Paibok's left hand, which seized him around the throat. Paibok then tore out Rhodes' shoulder cannon with his free hand.

Rhodes shouted as Paibok squeezed, his fingers slowly causing Rhodes' armour to buckle. He could still breathe, but he knew that in a short amount of time, his windpipe would be crushed.

"This is how heroes are rewarded," said Paibok.

Rhodes then looked down, seeing Natalia looking up at him in fear. Rhodes gazed at the cracked reactor core for a second, and then at Paibok's armour.

"Widow!" shouted Rhodes. "Magnet rifle!"

Natalia blinked, instantly understanding Rhodes' plan. Pulling out her magnet rifle, she fired a disc at the reactor core. She then took careful aim, and fired another disc at Paibok's back, lodging it in one of the creases in the modular armour. Paibok looked over his shoulder upon feeling the magnet disc latch on to his armour.

"What?"

Rhodes then punched Paibok in the face, breaking out of his grasp.

"Commend this," said Rhodes.

Natalia pulled the trigger on her magnet rifle, and Paibok was instantly pulled towards the reactor core. He was drawn towards it with such force that his body broke through the core's reinforced glass, and into the blue energy field. As the energy lashed out as his body, he yelled in agony. Rhodes then flew down towards his team.

"Clear out!"

Rhodes swooped down and grabbed Joey by both arms, pulling him upwards. Amanda followed behind, grabbing Natalia around the waist. Pietro then looked up as everyone flew off.

"Hey! What about me?"

"You can run, you jerk!" shouted Amanda.

"Oh. Yeah. Right."

Pietro then sprinted out of the room. All of the heroes cleared out as the reactor core started to overload. The remaining Skrulls and Mekkans ran away in fear, knowing that the Cyberex Device was beyond saving with the core compromised. As Paibok's flesh started to be ripped apart by the energy field, a single tear fell down his cheek.

"My Queen . . . . I have failed you . . . ."

Paibok then screamed as the reactor core exploded, vaporizing both him and the entire chamber. Within seconds, the Cyberex Device imploded in on itself, culminating in a massive blue explosion. Rhodes, Natalia, Joey and Amanda all landed out of the blast zone, several blocks away from the Cyberex Device.

The four of them watched as the Cyberex Device crumbled, and its blue beam dissipated. They all breathed sighs of relief.

"What kept you?"

The four turned around to see that Pietro was already waiting for them, leaning his back against the wall of a building. Amanda rolled her eyes.

"Shut up," she said.

Pietro chuckled. Joey panted and held on to his chest. Amanda put her hands on her hips. Rhodes sat down on the ground, watching as the AIM shuttles continued to fly around the remains of the Cyberex Device, firing at the fleeing Skrulls. Natalia sat down next to him. The two of them just sat in silence for a while, watching as the morning sun started to appear over the London horizon.

"We did it," said Rhodes.

"We did," said Natalia.

Rhodes took in a deep breath.

"You did good, Colonel."

"You too, Agent."

"Now what?"

Rhodes looked up into the sky. He thought about the team of heroes that Fury told him about. The team that had gone into space, in a desperate plan to find a way to stop Veranke for good.

"This was our fight. We finished it. The rest . . . . the rest is up to them."

THE END

* * *

Epilogue

Standing inside of a well-furbished room far from any of the battle zones, Sunset looked out the window as the morning sun started to appear. She was wearing her best bottle-green dress, and had her hands behind her back. A Risk Control trooper then walked up to her, before handing her a datapad with a report.

Sunset smiled at what she read. She then nodded and handed the datapad back to the trooper.

"It appears that Colonel Rhodes pulled off his daring plan," said Sunset. "He couldn't have done it without my help, of course. I suppose you've now considered my offer, Mister Cameron?"

David Cameron, the Prime Minister of Britain, was sitting on a chair in the same room. He took a sip of his glass of whiskey before answering.

"Quite so, Miss Bain."

Sunset turned around to look at him.

"I believe you and I can have a very fruitful partnership," he said.

Sunset grinned widely as Cameron downed the rest of his glass.


End file.
